Law Officers: Disclosure of Advice to Government

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will provide in full the advice given by the Attorney-General on the legality of the invasion of Iraq; and whether they will make available all related documents.

Baroness Amos: As I made clear in my reply to the noble Lord, Lord Alexander of Weedon on 12 January 2004, (Official Report, Col. WA 65), there is a long-standing convention, observed by successive governments, that advice which the Law Officers have given to the Government is not publicly disclosed.

Iraq: Health Services

Lord Garden: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have contributed funds to the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Ministry of Health's public health surveillance activities since March 2003; if so, whether those funds have been dispensed; and what results have been achieved.

Baroness Amos: During the existence of the Coalition Provincial Authority (CPA) in Iraq, the United Kingdom provided a total of 14 UK personnel to the CPA to work in the health sector. The total cost to HM Government of seconding these personnel was approximately £460,000.
	DfID's current support to the health sector is focused on primary healthcare. Assistance has been supplied through the provision of professional advice to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Baghdad and Basra, which assisted in the development of the MoH planning guidelines for 2005. In addition, a £5 million grant has been made through the World Health Organisation (WHO). Under this grant, the WHO has rented vehicles for needs assessments and disease surveillance, procurement, operating expenses, office and data processing equipment etc. at a cost of £1.72 million.
	Additional DfID support for health services in Iraq is channelled through the multi-donor trust funds managed by the United Nations and the World Bank. DfID has made an initial contribution of £70 million to these trust funds and, together with contributions from other donors, about 1 billion dollars is available for Iraqi priorities in health and other sectors. For example, using trust fund moneys, the WHO continues to support MoH in communicable disease surveillance programmes and assessment of primary health care centres and hospitals.

Iraq: Typhoid

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many cases of typhoid have been confirmed in (a) Baghdad, and (b) the rest of Iraq since April 2003; what are the primary causes of infection; and what action they have taken through the Iraqi Government and other channels to prevent typhoid.

Baroness Amos: In the Health in Iraq report of September 2004, the Iraqi Ministry of Health stated that typhoid had increased since the mid-1990s because of poor sanitation and water supplies. It reported 29,000 cases of typhoid in 2003 and 5,460 in the first quarter of 2004. DfID is not aware of any recent and reliable data that show the trend of infectious diseases, including typhoid. The Ministry of Health report also states that there is no evidence of any epidemics since the end of the conflict, despite the disruption of services and interruption in programmes of immunisation. Efforts are currently being made to increase immunisation levels to halt the rise in vaccine preventable diseases, with World Health Organisation (WHO) support.

Multi-fibre Agreement

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they and other developed countries have to mitigate the adverse effects of the end of the Multi-Fibre Agreement on disaster-stricken developing countries, such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and in particular the impact on female employment.

Baroness Amos: The Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC—the successor to the GATT Multi-Fibre Arrangement—MFA) was introduced in 1995 following the Uruguay round of trade negotiations, and at the insistence of those developing countries with textile exporting industries, as a 10-year plan to fully integrate textiles and clothing into normal GATT rules and promote a more liberal, less distorted market. The most visible form of the ATC was the quota system imposed by importers (primarily the EU, US and Canada). These skewed normal trading patterns in these products to protect domestic producers, but also with the effect of enabling small developing countries to compete with more competitive countries such as China and India. These quotas have been gradually eliminated—though the majority, and all of those on the most sensitive products, were left until last—and were finally ended on 1 January. From that date 191 quotas on imports of textiles and clothing from 14 countries have disappeared.
	DfID is currently funding two projects from the Poverty Reduction Fund with the Asian Development Bank, targeted at countries among those that are likely to feel the effects of the MFA phase-out most keenly, namely Bangladesh and Cambodia. The details are:
	Bangladesh
	The purpose of this project is to help the government of Bangladesh reduce unemployment risks associated with the MFA phase-out and to improve job opportunities for female garment workers. The results expected from the project are:
	a report on approaches to retraining of workers, and to employment and social protection measures;
	pilot projects to benefit female garment workers;
	an exchange of experiences with other countries like Cambodia;
	extending the assistance more widely based on the results from the pilot project.
	Cambodia
	The purpose of the project is to help the government of Cambodia in understanding and addressing poverty and gender issues related to the phase-out of MFA, including creating alternative employment opportunities and ways of protecting retrenched garment workers. Results from the project include:
	a comprehensive situation analysis of the industry and workers in the sector;
	the introduction of small pilot schemes;
	the building of formal and informal safety nets and establishment of links with alternative employment;
	help to strengthen the capacity of the government, private sector and civil society to address the risk associated with the phase-out of MFA.
	While the exact impact of quota elimination is difficult to predict, we do not expect Sri Lanka to be as badly affected as Bangladesh and Cambodia.

Prime Minister: Sinn Fein Meetings

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What meetings the Prime Minister has had since 1 September 2004 with representatives of Sinn Fein; and when and where each meeting was held and who attended.

Baroness Amos: The Prime Minister has had frequent meetings with political parties in Northern Ireland.

Africa: Defence Expenditure

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 17 November (WA 165) on compliance by southern African governments with the United Nations Secretary-General's request that they limit defence expenditure, whether they are aware that the report by the Secretary-General which was placed in the Library of the House makes no reference to this matter; and whether they will therefore seek the information requested from the Secretary-General.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The United Nations Secretary-General's recommendation in 1998 to limit defence expenditure was designed to reduce the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Africa. The Secretary-General's 2004 report, which was placed in the Library of the House, measures progress on this, the overall objective, and not reductions in defence expenditure.
	Dialogue about government expenditure, including the level of defence spending, is a normal part of discussions between donors and partner governments. In those countries in southern Africa where the UK has significant development programmes channelled through the government, namely Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Lesotho, the level of defence expenditure has not been a matter of concern for the UK or other donors in recent years. The Government will therefore not be pursuing this matter with the Secretary-General.

Anti-terrorism Laws: Law Lords' Judgement

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On what legal basis they continue to hold the foreign terrorist suspects in HM Belmarsh prison, following the ruling of the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary on 16 December.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I refer the noble Lord to the Statement I made on 20 December 2001.

Identity Cards

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	To what extent their proposals for identity cards are required by the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The European Community does not have competence to introduce measures on national identity cards. There are therefore no requirements arising from the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union in respect of its proposals for identity cards.

Terrorism: Remands

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many persons are currently held on remand in connection with terrorism offences; whether they are all men; and how long it is expected to take to bring all cases to court.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Currently, 21 men are being held on remand having been charged with terrorist related offences which include conspiracy to cause explosions and conspiracy to murder.
	These cases are at different stages in the criminal justice process and it is not therefore possible to give an overview of the timetable of court dates. Cases relating to offences perpetrated by terrorists are often very complex and usually involve in-depth forensic analysis and other detailed information. Therefore, such cases may take longer than those associated with other criminal action.

Terrorism: Extraditions

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many persons are currently held for possible extradition to face terrorism charges; and by when they expect decisions to be reached in these cases.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: 13 persons are currently subject to extradition proceedings on charges connected to terrorist activity. The cases are at various stages of the extradition process. It is not possible to specify by when a final decision in each case will be taken; but the UK takes its international obligations in this area very seriously and aims to complete all of the cases as quickly as the process allows.

Terrorist Attacks and Incidents

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many terrorist attacks and incidents took place in the United Kingdom between 1971 and 1974; how many people were killed and injured; what was the value of property damaged or destroyed in each attack; and what were the comparable statistics between 2001 and 2004.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The period 1971–74 saw the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland. The police, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, have always considered acts of terrorism, ranging from bombings and shootings, down to intimidation and assault, as criminal acts and record them as such. Given the potentially wide definition that could be applied to "terrorist attacks and incidents" it is impossible to ascertain how many there were in the UK.
	Similarly, although individual insurance companies and other financial institutions may hold information about the cost to business and infrastructure from specific major attacks such as at Bishopsgate, the Home Office does not. It is not possible to separate out smaller criminal incidents involving terrorists from those caused by other criminals.

Aircraft Carriers

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who will lead the integrated project team for the new aircraft carriers, following the departure of Mr Ali Baghai.

Lord Bach: John Coles CB has been appointed as the interim team leader for the future aircraft carrier (CVF) project.

Travellers

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in the light of the Prime Minister's statement on 12 January (HC Deb, col. 297) on the rights of Travellers that "the interests of the ordinary public have to come first", they consider (a) that Travellers are members of the public; and (b) that it is necessary to strike a balance between the rights of Travellers and the rights of other members of the public.

Lord Rooker: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister agrees that Travellers are members of the public whose rights are to be respected. Those rights have to be balanced with those of other members of the public.
	The European Court of Human Rights has recognised, in the planning field, the complexity and sensitivity of the issues involved in policies balancing the interests of the general population, in particular with regard to environmental protection, and the interests of a minority with possibly conflicting requirements. This balancing exercise is a matter for local planning authorities in the first instance and the Secretary of State, my right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister, on appeal.
	Along with rights come responsibilities: the government, local authorities and local communities have a responsibility to facilitate the undeniable need for sites, while Travellers have a responsibility to act reasonably, co-operatively and abide by planning law.

Families in Temporary Accommodation

The Earl of Listowel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in the case of families in temporary accommodation who are placed at some distance from their home area, assistance is offered towards the travel costs incurred when they seek to maintain contact with their extended family or community; and, if so, what assistance.

Lord Rooker: Where a family is placed in temporary accommodation by a local housing authority as a discharge of a homelessness duty the authority must ensure that the accommodation is suitable and, so far as reasonably practical, is located within the authority's boundaries. Affordability and the location of the accommodation, particularly with regard to any need for the family to maintain links with community, family support, and public services such as school, doctor and hospital, are both factors that must be considered when determining suitability. There is no specific requirement on the housing authority to provide assistance towards travel costs.

Referendum Campaigns: Ministerial Involvement

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 2 December 2004 (WA 15), whether the likely costs to a person alleging a breach of Section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 in making a challenge by way of judicial review are likely to be so high as to deter any challenge being made; and whether the Attorney-General has the power to act on a complaint from a person that a Minister has committed a breach of Section 125.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The costs of making a challenge by way of judicial review will depend on the circumstances of the particular case, and whether they would be likely to deter an individual from making a challenge would depend on that person's own circumstances.
	The Attorney-General has no statutory role of enforcing Section 125. A complainant might ask the Attorney-General to bring a relator action to enforce the section. It would be a matter for the Attorney General's discretion whether to bring such an action. He might decline to do so if it were open to the complainant to pursue his complaint by way of judicial review. It would in any event be for the complainant to meet the costs of any relator action.

Secondary Schools: New and Replacement Schools

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many competitions for new secondary schools there have been in 2003, 2004 and 2005 to date.

Lord Filkin: There have been no competitions for new secondary schools since the requirement for a competition for additional secondary schools was introduced in June 2003. The Education Bill currently before Parliament will extend the requirement for a competition to all new secondary schools, including schools replacing existing schools as a result of reorganisation, unless the Secretary of State agrees that in a particular case the objectives of increasing the quality and diversity of provision could be met by other proposals commanding support in the area.

Secondary Schools: New and Replacement Schools

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many replacement secondary schools have been approved in 2003, 2004 and 2005 to date.

Lord Filkin: The numbers of proposals for replacement secondary schools approved since 2003 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2003 9 
			 2004 7 
			 2005 (to date) 0 
		
	
	These figures include proposals for new maintained secondary schools that have been approved by the LEA, school organisation committee or schools adjudicator under local decision-making arrangements. They include proposals for schools to be established as a result of local reorganisations and amalgamations and for voluntary or foundation schools with a religious character to replace existing community schools.
	These figures exclude academies as they are classed as independent state schools and approved under separate arrangements. Funding agreements were agreed and signed for two academies as replacement secondary schools in 2003 and a further 11 in 2004.

Schools: Exclusions

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many pupils in schools in England and Wales were (a) suspended, and (b) excluded for the use of;
	(i) heroin;
	(ii) cocaine;
	(iii) crack cocaine;
	(iv) amphetamines;
	(v) cannabis; and
	(vi) any other illegal substance in each of the last seven years.

Lord Filkin: This information is not held centrally. We started to collect reasons for exclusions in relation to the summer term 2003 and these termly data collections are continuing. One category of reason for exclusion is involvement with drugs and alcohol, but this is not broken down by type of substance.
	Due to concerns over the reliability of the first set of data, the full data on reasons for exclusion, including those that were drug and alcohol-related, were not published in the Experimental First Release (ESR 01/2004), a copy of which is in the Library. The next statistical first release on exclusions will be published in May 2005.
	Our guidance states that a head teacher can exclude a pupil permanently for supplying an illegal drug and that the Secretary of State would not normally expect the governing body or an appeal panel to reinstate such a pupil. Illegal drugs have no place in schools and harm children's learning, health and behaviour. We have made clear that we support head teachers and governing bodies together with local partners, including the police, in their efforts to tackle illegal drugs in schools.

European Stability and Growth Pact

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will support French proposals that defence expenditure should be excluded from calculations in relation to the European stability and growth pact.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The UK Government have consistently supported a prudent interpretation of the stability and growth pact that takes into account the economic cycle, sustainability and the important role of public investment. The Government published alongside Budget 2004 a discussion paper on the SGP. The paper assesses the performance of the pact and examines the principles, based on our experience, which should guide the evolution of fiscal policy.

North Sea Oil: Taxation

Lord Howell of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What studies they have made about the simplification of North Sea oil taxation; and whether such studies include the consolidation of all such taxes into a single corporation tax regime, with the abolition of all other upstream taxes.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Like all taxes, the North Sea fiscal regime is kept under constant review to ensure that it delivers a fair return to the nation from a national resource and encourages investment, while keeping regulatory and administrative burdens to a minimum. In designing the major changes to the regime in 2002, including the abolition of North Sea royalty, the Government paid particular regard to the need to keep the regime as simple as possible while ensuring that it fully met its objectives. The Government formed the view at that time that a migration to a single tax would not have achieved these objectives.

Printed Materials

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the average unit cost of producing a "normal glossy" document; and whether there is room for cost-savings to be effected in this area.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: There is no average cost for producing a "normal glossy" document. The cost of producing any document will depend upon its size, content, format and the paper used. The standing advice to departments produced by Her Majesty's Stationery Office makes it clear that anything which adds to the cost should be used only where the improvement in presentation can be justified.

Printed Materials

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether government departments have considered ceasing production of documents with laminated covers that create recycling problems.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government encourage everybody in the public and private sectors to use recycled printing papers to comply with the waste strategy 2000 initiative and the sustainable procurement agenda. The recycled printing papers framework will continue to promote the use of recycled papers in central government and to develop and expand the market place to meet the demands for recycled paper in the production of printed materials including publicity and campaign material, publications and printed stationery. Since the framework was put in place in 2000 use of the framework has more than doubled from 2,290 tonnes being called off in the first year to over 5,000 tonnes being called off in 2003–04.
	Print buyers within COI and government departments will always advise clients of the most environmentally friendly approach to their publication needs that also meets the time and budget constraints they are working to. Laminated covers should generally be used only for documents where it aids usability and longevity.
	Existing guidance issued by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in respect of government Command Papers and other documents will be extended to make it clear that departments should ensure that these are capable of being recycled and that they should generally seek to avoid use of laminated papers or other materials which reduce the scope for recycling.

Duchy of Lancaster: Labour Party Officials

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many paid or unpaid Labour Party officials work in the Office of the Duchy of Lancaster; what resources are made available to, and used by, them; and what expenses they have claimed in respect of which activities.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has no paid or unpaid Labour Party official working in his private office.